My son is 7 years old and he has been playing piano for 4 years. Some of my friends suggested me to let him take the Royal Academy Exam. I talked to his teacher who told me that he can porbably try the 3rd level. I have been thinking a lot about the pros and cons of going for an exam. I have heard a lot about how the students just play for the exam. The pieces that he play will be very limited to the exam syllabus. Can anyone share with me why students need to sit for a music exam?

Although I'm not a teacher and I hope teachers will respond, there can be a number of good reasons for sitting for an exam. Some of them have to do with finding out the child's true abilities when compared with others of the same age or training. Others are pedagogical: having experts (i.e. the judges) rate the child's technique and point out areas of improvement or extension. This provides a good check for the teacher. Still others relate to giving the child the experience of playing under a bit more pressure than he is used to. If there are any problems with technique or learning, they will tend to appear in situations which place more demands on the student. Finally, some students actually enjoy challenging themselves in this way. I can't know your teacher's or child's mind on these matters, but these are some possible reasons. I'm sure teachers could cite many more!

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